User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
SG
a Casual Listener

Date Reviewed: May 13, 2011

Bottom Line:

Never buy the lifestyle 48. It is too expensive and comes bundled with lots of maintenance every year.
The DVD player never works and refuses to accept even brand new DVD.
The Bose Service center is only interested in replacing the DVD lens every time and blames all the failure due to dust.
May be the prospective buyers should also invest in dust proof but ventilated cabinet for the music system.

I have owned a Lifestyle 12 since 1995, I had a few minor issue which Bose fixed under warranty. It has been user friendly for the entire family no tweaking and plug and play. Well the other day I turned it on and no sound I tried several things and called Bose. They would fix it for 258.00 or they said I could trade it in on a refurbished Z20 for 999.00 or LS48 IV for 1400.00. This is a far cry from 3900.00 and it had the same waranty as new. So a broken system will be retired and a new one installed and it has expanded features. The entire system is compact and although it doesn't play BR DVDs my PS3 does. So for me it is a win win. I will review the LS48 once it arrives and I install it and post my opinion.
Just press the RED easy button;

I bought Bose Lifestyle 48 System over a year ago. Overall video and audio are good, but minor problems include:
a) No Blue-Ray capability for DVD's
b) Poor synchronization of remotes for peripherals like TV & cable; despite what Bose store reps tell you, you can't control eveything with one push of the button - you might as well keep all your remotes.

However, MAJOR problem has to do with UMUSIC system:
One of primary selling points used by Bose store reps is telling you that you can load 200 CDs into system, the Bose will store & remember them all, and by Gracenote technology you can create infinite playlists based on music preferences, and never have to load/reload CD's again. (technology is much like iTune Genius Mix).

Sounded great at the time to me so I bought it, and spent COUNTLESS hours (60? 100?) loading CD's (each takes 10-15 minutes), categorizing them, then training the presets to play what I want (e.g. I don't want Beach Boys singing their version of "Silent Night" when I want to hear a jazz mix...)

Then, one day, our power went out. Only for 10-15 minutes, tops. WIPING OUT ALL MY SAVED CD'S. Now there is no stored music. I talked to Bose rep, at his recommendation sent it to their service center (at my cost), and spent over $150 for them to replace hard drive, AND THEY COULD NOT RECOVER MY STORED MUSIC.

So basically right now I have a basic DVD player with a decent sound system. Needless to say I was P.O.'d. It will be FAR less traumatic for me at this point to connect up my iPhone & play my easily-personalized playlists from that than to waste another month of my life reloading CD's into Bose.

I have had this hunk of junk for 5 years simply because I have repaired it my self because it was so expensive and I refuse to give Bose anymore of my hard earned money for their junk. By giving them anymore money I am not able to use my DVD drive, cd storage, led display but hell I got it to run my aux sound for my gaming after I rplaced the hard drive myself too. Go ahead if you would like to impress your friends and just have money to waste listen to the B.S. Shpill.....as a owner don't ware your money people in fact let this company fall faster then wall street. Junk junk junk junk!!! 4300.00 piece of junk. If they were so behind thier product then all my ssssshuff that doesn't work, would from a great company that accually stood behind there product like they say they do. You could email me any time bose or just send me my money back....

Related Lifestyle 48 Forum Posts

We are importer & exporter dealers on all brand new models of electronics such as Mobile phones ,laptops
,games console,Plasma tvs,PIONEER CDJ at very cheap price with complete accessories. We are good / great
in selling to bulks buyers and also individuals buyers.
We have alots of items av ... Read More »